


Wait for the Daylight

by boneofimpurity



Series: Sands and Skies [1]
Category: Ancient Egyptian Religion
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Enemies to Lovers, Established Relationship, Family Feels, I'm fine horus is fine everything is fine, M/M, Reconciliation, as domestic as you can get with a palace setting anyway
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-08
Updated: 2021-01-08
Packaged: 2021-03-12 04:00:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,131
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28629195
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/boneofimpurity/pseuds/boneofimpurity
Summary: The day is ending, and Horus takes the time to meet with his family.
Relationships: Horus/Set
Series: Sands and Skies [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2097981
Kudos: 23





	Wait for the Daylight

**Author's Note:**

> They're all really just anthropomorphic animals instead of humans with animal heads. Idk why I write them off as "X-headed god"

Night descends upon the Nile Delta, and Horus is free to leave his office. 

He takes the time to wander deep into his own palace.

Along the way, he greets Hathor, who receives him just as sweetly before she retreats into the comforts of her own quarters. No doubt planning to practice new songs with her lyres and sistrums before finally retiring to bed.

Horus opens the door to the libraries, where he is met by the bumbling Thoth and a tired Seshat, rolls, and rolls of scrolls before her. They are sometimes joined by Anubis, who takes delight in teasing the ibis-headed god.

When he has more time to spare, Anubis lays out a senet board and invites his cousin-brother to play. Horus accepts, and they sit together. The God of Death never laughs with anyone other than the pharaoh. 

They talk bout Duat, about Osiris, about Ammit, and any particularly abominable cretin whose heart she devoured recently. Both bid each other goodby, Anubis promising to pass along Horus' messages to his father.

Horus walks down the stairs to the fountains, where he meets Isis and Nephthys.

The twin goddesses are never one without the other. Nepthtys follows her sister when she isn't escorting a caravan of dead spirits. Isis enjoys her company now that she's drawing away from the spotlight, assured that her son is quite capable of governing the kingdom on his own.

Nephthys casts Horus a knowing, comforting smile as she leaves Isis' side. Then Horus takes her place.

Frequent visits to the Duat and more time to practice her magic does wonders to Isis' temperament. She is no longer the agitated mother that constantly barks orders to Horus as he contends against his father's usurpers.

Their evening conversations are more cordial these days. Horus is reminded of her mother's gentleness when they were traveling incognito, without the trappings of royalty and court intrigue they now navigate.

Even then, Isis was hiding them away from Horus' innocent eyes as well.

Isis smells of the blue lotus around them, and she cheekily places one between the feathers around his temple. It falls, landing on Horus' lap.

Isis jokes that he should wear his human form more. Horus chuckles and politely declines.

He then walks Isis to her quarters, where Imsety is sitting on the floor with her magic books. His quiet son is the spitting image of Isis, with the same intelligent eyes and impatience. 

Imsety is flipping through a tome, saying he needs to prove a point to Thoth about the nature of a particular spell. That competitive streak is also unmistakenly Isis'.

Imsety's dusky cheeks turn red when Horus ruffles his hair.

The clang of metal attracts him to the courtyard, where he sees Hapi sparring with Duamutef.

Hapi immediately turns around to bow as Horus lands. He reminds Horus of his younger days, confident and eager. But without the smugness, thank Ra. 

Hapi is loved by many and knows how to keep his enemies compliant. He maneuvers the court with ease, better than his father did under Isis' hawk-like gaze. 

Horus is sure he will make an excellent king when the time arrives. 

Duamutef nods at him, leaning against his scepter. He takes after his sire, from his gangly stature to his arrogant gait. 

The courtiers often call Duamutef insolent, but Horus knows better. He's just an....unrulier version of Anubis. The older wolf-headed god would run away from the younger jackal-headed god, screaming that the _brat_ wouldn't stop buggering him.

Horus asks where his falcon-headed son is, and Hapi says he's up in his room, reading. Horus is secretly relieved to know that his son has given up chasing kitchen maids and Isis' attendants.

The boy improves under Serqet's strict tutelage. He has a good head on his shoulders, Horus muses. It's a pity he doesn't notice it himself. 

He kisses his son's foreheads (much to Duamutef's irritation) goodnight and takes to the skies.

The air is warm, and the winds under his wings feel pleasant as he circles around the palace. Horus gazes at the fertile lands below him and understands that he is indeed _blessed._

Beyond his black soils are the red deserts where his counterpart dwelled. The dunes are calmer tonight in their master's absence, and Horus could make out the silhouette of a _sha_ near the city gates.

He's tried convincing the animals are welcome inside the palace. But they know better than to wander around when their lord isn't present. Isis would smite them if she found one.

Horus arrives at the old sparring grounds, now long abandoned after the contendings ended.

The scratches on the pillar and the dismantled tiles are a reminder of their clashes. Horus reminisces and laughs at the irony —was there ever a need for competition when the tribunal each gave their shares, in the end?

But his rival still chose to take up his spear and stand beside Ra on his bark. Horus was left conflicted, accompanied by a (thankfully) greater pang of relief.

The days dragged on as Horus went about his duties in relative peace. Then Hathor decided to hold a banquet, and _he_ was there, with a red shawl draped over his shoulder and an air of forced modesty. The villain was finally shown his place, it seemed.

Horus, despite himself, confronted him in the name of reconciliation. To his surprise, his intentions weren't met with hostility. They soon learned to feel at ease in each other's company.

And their meetings eventually led to a continuation of their one-time tryst.

At least among the gods, it was no longer a secret that the king favored his adversary-turned-Ra's-protector. Nephthys, who has long severed her ties to her husband, only pats her nephew's arms and smiles. She is content to carry on with her new life, with Anubis and his own little family to dote on.

It is Isis who glowers and disdainfully leaves her throne whenever his brother dares to approach Horus, even formally.

Osiris doesn't say anything about his son's preferences. The few times they meet are spent on discussions revolving around good governance and Horus' dealings with other gods.

The sands stir, and Horus shivers.

He heard from Hathor, who heard from Bastet that their sister Mafdet was to replace him on the bark and relieve him of his duty. Dark desires began to take shape as Horus thinks of the nights they'd spend in his chambers.

A miniature sandstorm descends upon Horus, and he smiles as a familiar claw comes to encircle his waist.

"Princess," his lover purrs. "Bold of you to come out at night, unarmed and alone."

Horus gasps as Set claims him with the ferocity only a god of chaos and the desert can embody. 

**Author's Note:**

> I headcanon Set calling Horus "princess" when they meet in battle. He still calls Horus princess even when they're already together.
> 
> Also, this is based on a version that says that the Four Sons of Horus are products of that lettuce incident. Now that's interesting.


End file.
